Last night Freewind, Itarilda, and our friend Nachruf quested some in Duskwood. We were now tasked with slaying Morbent Fel. Not an easy task. He’s orange to me, and an elite. And he’s guarded. Such an easy fight. We cleared the lower area and slowly moved up the stairs. With a Druid and a Paladin present, and Freewind tanking with sword and board, it went so smoothly. The adds went down, and then we worked on Morbent Fel. I absolutely love it when something goes that well.

Freewind’s level 29 now. And he was within 3 bubbles of dinging 30. What’s that mean? Yeah, baby: Battlegrounds!

I was going to be top of the pack in there. Level 29 Warrior, what could go wrong? Mmmm, how about twinked Rogues whose enchants damage you more than their swings. I kid you not, I examined the combat logs. Their weapon enchants were doing more damage on me than their weapons were. That’s just wrong. Sorry. In order to finally get my Crusader enchant on my level 60’s Earthshaker, I had to save up a lot of stuff and sell a lot of herbs. But here, these level 29 characters have what amounts to 50G in enchants on their weapons? It’s not their skill at this point, it’s the money they’re willing to dump on a level 29 sword. All I can do is make their life tougher. Rends, deep wounds, and hamstringing them. And I pay particular attention to them. I even make special “/target Twink” macros so I can find them whereever. I know I’m winning when they single me out for their attention. ;) Win, lose, it’s just a difference in two honor tokens. And I’ll save my cash for the necessary things. Like buying my wife’s Enchanter weapon enchant spells!

Spies in the battlegrounds. Someone stated in the Warsong Gulch /General “They can see where we are.” I thought it was the ravings of a poor loser. However, nobody answered back “L2P noob.” I thought it was unlikely. Until I saw a zerg approach our tunnel. There must have been seven of them. The 3 rogues with their brilliantly glowing Enchants. I was watching from above, at the cemetary (where I spent a great deal of time it turns out), as they approached. I was going to announce “Zerg incoming” to the raid. Then I saw them turn, and head east. All of them. Hmm, I thought. Curious, I was watching to see where they went. Nobody on my side was over there. Maybe this was a secret way up to my level. Roh roh. They got to the trees and one of the Rogues went behind a tree limb. Okay, this is where I can see the path up, I thought. Or, maybe, this is a secret spot where folks can hide with flags. But nobody is there. I don’t see a flag.

Then the rogues two lightsabers start swinging. And then the group erupts. From their midst stumbles a level 22 Druid. She’s stunned and going down fast. I look for the flag. I don’t see one. What’s going on???

Why do 7 Horde approach our base, ignore getting the flag, head to a nothing corner of the map and track down and kill a level 22 Druid?? I didn’t see her, no way could they have seen her. She must have been Shadowmelded, and behind a tree limb. These guys zeroed in on her like guided munitions to a bunker. We’ve got a snitch.

I announce it in /General and nobody says anything about it. The zerg grabs the flags and caps it for the win. I haven’t done too badly scorewise. I’m near the top with killing blows (DOTs FTW!) and Honor Kills. (And deaths.) At the bottom is the Raid Leader. Level 29 Druid. 0 Killing blows, 0 deaths, 30 Honor Kills.

The raid rejoins the queue and we’re shortly back in. And against the same folks. This time I do not join the raid, preferring to go on my own. Later on in that match, as we’re one flag away from losing, I decide to scope things out in wisp form. I go to our flag area and see two enemy rogues in our flag room. (That’s where I died.) I announce it to /General. Someone invites me to the raid and I decline. I watch a Night Elf Hunter come in and she’s struck by the first Rogue. She sends in her cat and is stunned by the second rogue. /General “And that’s the 2nd one.” I say. They win, we retire to the Keep.

There I see some cats running around. Level 29 Druid knows the Level 22 Druid. Both are Corporals. Hmmm. Ms. Cat Form-Can see humanoids on a radar map-and-Does not Die knows Ms. Zerged Druid. Both unguilded.

Is it possible to be in Vent and report to your buddies so their WSG experience, not only enhanced by massively expensive enchants, is also given preternaturally abnormal amounts of info? Was I set up here? Sure feels like it.

I had an experience a few weeks ago where I thought someone was a spy. It was also a druid. 2x in a row she had possession of the Horde flag, entered the alliance keep to plant the flag and simply stood there with the flag and let horde kill her before planting. Both times she was well in front of the Horde and could have planted th flag before they arrived at her heels. Neither time did Horde attack her. I couldn’t get anyone to invite me to the raid so I was on the ledge above on defense and planned to jump down when horde entered. I was killed each time I jumped down, shielded him/her as they stood there and did nothing. After watching the same thing happen twice I left.

I could be accused of a little twinking myself. My level 19 Hunter benefited from a patron with a little bit of cash. That got her pretty much the best +Agi I could find for her level. But I drew the line at not buying ridicuously overpriced blue items. (Only reason a pair of level 19 boots, blue, would sell for over 100g is someone is willing to spend that much. Not me.) I guess my sense of fair play ends when someone spends 50g x2 on enchants for a level 19 rogue’s weapons. Then it’s simply a matter of whoever spends the most cash wins. And where’s the cash come from, to spend like that? Hmm. When I was raiding Molten Core, it’d be 7-10g in repairs. Every time. Money isn’t cheap.